ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMPETENCIES: THE DEVELOPMENT OF METRICS FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD) IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

Education Sustainable Development has been identified as the key tool in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Sustainable Development Goal 4.7, which asks learners to be equipped with knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes relevant to fostering sustainable development. Along with the rising trend of inclusion of sustainability in the curriculum and governance systems of educational institutions, the necessity to develop mechanisms to evaluate sustainable competencies has become urgent. Even with the spread of Education Sustainable Development frameworks, a consistent measure of assessment of sustainable development competencies has not yet been developed. Current methods of assessment are fragmented, including self-reported surveys, institutional sustainability reporting, or policy alignment measures, which do not adequately capture learner-driven competency outcomes. The scope of this work is to establish qualitative competency-based measures of effectiveness of Education Sustainable Development in institutions of learning. The analysis of secondary data and documents was conducted using a qualitative research design. Sources of data were UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Reports, OECD education frameworks, Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 monitoring indicators, and peer-reviewed empirical articles since 2015. Thematic coding and comparative synthesis were used in identifying core sustainability competencies into measurable institutional indicators. The results show convergence of international frameworks in systems thinking, anticipatory, normative, strategic, interpersonal, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning competencies. The study suggests a multidimensional Index of Institutional Education Sustainable Development Effectiveness based on qualitative assessment, filling a gap between theoretical models and practical evaluation approaches, and providing institutions with a tool to track progress and improve alignment with sustainability goals.